GRCC Curriculum Model Proposal
A curriculum is a scope and sequence of learning activities that is arranged in a logical order for a defined audience. The scope responds to the breadth of learning intended and the sequence illustrates the order, with complexity of learning outcomes becoming greater over time. The overarching purpose of curriculum is to describe the intentions of a learning experience.A curriculum is also a planning and communication tool that lets stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, and the community) know what is being taught, why, and how the intended learning is to inspire and impact the learners.
The proposed Curriculum Model establishes guidelines and standards for GRCC curricula, including degrees, programs, and courses. The model is based on the following principles:
§ Academic programs and courses are purposefully defined in the context of the goals and expectations of students and their learning needs.
§ The curriculum is outcomes-based and learning is defined by measurable student learning outcomes at the institutional, program, and course levels for all offerings.
§ Degrees are defined and granted by the institution.
§ All GRCC programs will result in a meaningful credential and prepare students to immediately enter the workforce, enhance their skills or knowledge in a particular area to support their continued employment or transfer to another institution to continue their education.
§ Programs are created and delivered within schools and departments.
§ Programs and courses provide the same opportunities regardless of delivery method.
§ General education will be included in all programs that lead to a degree
Curricula are built by aligning content and competencies seamlessly through degrees, programs, and courses. The proposed model integrates these curricular components systematically to facilitate curriculum development, delivery, and evaluation. The majority of the definitions found within this proposal are new to the institution. In a few cases the new definitions simply document common practice in writing. There are updates to the definitions of the types of degrees that we offer. The summary of the old definitions and the proposed changes can be found in Appendix C.
Degrees & Certificates
GRCC currently offers and awards the following types of degree and credentials for college credit:
§ Associate of Arts (A.A.) – This degree is designed to prepare students to transfer to colleges or universities to pursue a Bachelor’s degree. Students earning this degree fulfill MACRAO requirements.
§ Associate of Science (A.S.) – This degree is designed to prepare students to transfer to colleges or universities to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in a science or mathematics related field. Students earning this degree fulfill MACRAO requirements.
§ Associate of Applied Arts & Sciences (A.A.A.S.) – This degree is designed to prepare students for entry level positions in occupational fields.
§ Associate of Business (A.B.) – This degree is designed to prepare students for entry level positions in the business field or prepare students to transfer to colleges or universities to pursue a Bachelor’s of Business Administration or another degree in a business related field.
§ Associate of Nursing (A.N.) – This degree is designed to prepare students to qualify to take the NCLEX-RN examination to become registered nurses.
§ Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.) – This degree is designed to prepare students to transfer to colleges or universities to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
§ Associate of Music (A.M.) – This degree is designed to prepare students for entry level positions in the music field or to prepare students to transfer to colleges or universities to pursue a Bachelor’s of Music or another performance related degree, thus requiring significant music performance credits.
§ Associate of General Studies (A.G.S.) – This degree is designed for students who wish to earn an associate degree without following a specific program.
§ Certificate – This credential is designed to prepare students with specific knowledge and skills necessary for entry level or continued employment in specialized careers or in preparation for transfer to a college or university.
Two additional credit bearing credential is proposed, an Advanced Certificate.
§ Advanced Certificate- These programs are designed to provide students who already have a degree with enhanced knowledge and skills.
§ Certificate of Completion- This certificate is designed to align coursework with external credentials, but does not offer the depth of knowledge or development of skills needed to be offered as a full certificate. The courses in the Certificate of Completionmay be a part of a degree program, or may be combinations of courses thattogether prepare students meet the requirements to apply for an external credential.
In addition to the credit bearing certificates, GRCC will continue to offer Non-Credit Certificates.
§ Non-Credit Certificate- This credential is designed to prepare students for entry level or continued employment in specialized careers.
Academic Programs
Within the proposed model, associate degrees will be aligned with eight different kinds of programs, as appropriate based on their purpose or role in the preparation of students. Each of the eight proposed programs is listed below with a definition that broadly identifies the curricular content:
§ Liberal Arts & Sciences (general) - Designed to fulfill GRCC general education and MACRAO, without focusing on a specific discipline or major. Prepares students to transfer to a college or university to pursue a Bachelor’s degree.
§ Pre-Major- Designed to fulfill GRCC general education requirements, and MACRAO, while focusing on coursework prerequisite to a particular major at a college or university.
§ Articulated Pre-Major- Designed to fulfill GRCC general education and MACRAO, while focusing on coursework prerequisite to a particular major at a specific college or university. The GRCC courses stated in the formal articulation agreement are guaranteed to transfer to the college or university if minimum grade and other stated expectations and are met.
§ Career- Designed to prepare students to be qualified for entry into a career in a specific field. These programs may have various Curricular Tracks that allow students to take coursework in a particular area of emphasis.
§ Articulated Career- Designed to prepare students to be qualified for entry into a career in a specific field and includes the coursework prerequisite to a particular major at a specific college or university. The GRCC courses stated in the formal articulation agreement are guaranteed to transfer to the college or university if minimum grade and other stated expectations and are met.
§ Pre-Professional - Designed to prepare students for transfer to a college or university while allowing them to begin the coursework requisite for a specialized professional degree, i.e., Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Business. These programs may include a Major that allows students to focus on the specific content necessary to prepare them to seamlessly continue in their coursework at the transfer institution.
§ Professional- Designed to prepare students to be qualified for entry into a professions oriented career, requiring a specialized professional degree, i.e., Associate of Nursing, Associate of Music. Professional programs may include a Major that allows students to focus on the specific content necessary to prepare them for entry level work in the profession.
§ Articulated Pre-Professional- Designed to prepare students for transfer to a college or university while allowing them to begin the coursework requisite for a specialized professional degree, i.e., Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Business. These programs may include a Major that allows students to focus on the specific content necessary to prepare them to seamlessly continue in their coursework at the transfer institution. The GRCC courses stated in the formal articulation agreement are guaranteed to transfer to the college or university if minimum grade and other stated expectations and are met.
§ Apprenticeship- Designed to prepare students with specific knowledge and skills necessary for a particular trade or industry in which they are already employed.
General Education
The model includes definitions that encourage a robust general education program that is aligned with the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrar’s and Admissions Officers (MACRAO) and lays the foundation for students pursuing associate’s degrees to be successful, whether their goal is to continue their education at another institution or to complete a degree that prepares them to enter the workforce upon graduation.
The GRCC General Education Program is comprised of four categories: Humanities; Social Sciences; Quantitative Skills and Natural Sciences; and English Composition. Courses designated as fulfilling general education requirements must satisfy the requirements of one of these areas. Survey of American Government (PS110), is a mandatory Social Science requirement for all GRCC curricula. In addition to these categories, curricula must include one wellness credit.
All programs that lead to a degree must include a minimum of 16 credit hours of general education coursework. Programs may specify the general education coursework that is best aligned with the curricular content of the program. For any program, a particular course may be chosen to meet general education requirementsor to meet program specific requirements, including the professional core, Major or Curricular Track, but not both at the same time. A student in a specific program cannot count the same course towards more than requirement, for example, general education and programrequirements or program electives and general electives.
Institutional Learning Outcomes
Institutional Learning Outcomes include the knowledge, skills and competencies which are embedded within every aspect of the college to inspire and enhance each student’s transferable learning skills. The ILOs represent the broad categories of competence that enable students to be successful in further education, in careers, as citizens, and in their personal lives. They are:
§ Communication Skills– Students will effectively express and exchange ideas through listening, speaking, reading, writing, and other modes of interpersonal expression
§ Critical Thinking Skills – Students will be able to gather and synthesize relevant information, evaluate alternatives, and implement creative and effective solutions
§ Social Responsibility Skills – Students will be prepared to practice community engagement that addresses environmental responsibility, social justice, and cultural diversity
§ Personal Responsibility Skills – Students will become independent learners who understand and express the lifelong skills necessary for physical, social, economic, mental, and emotional health
The content and competencies associated with the ILOs will be systematically embedded throughout every program curricula. All of the academic programs previously listed will result in the mastery of the GRCC Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) at a minimum of a Level 2 on the GRCC ILO matrices. For the programs that prepare students for entry-level work, the expectation is that the program will result in mastery of the ILOs at Level 3 on the GRCC ILO matrices.
Once the definitions for the general education distribution requirements have been approved and the specific competencies for the ILOs have been identified, a strategy will be developed to systematically associate the general education courses and the ILOs to ensure that all students have the opportunity to be educated in these areas. This system will lay the foundation for curriculum development and assessment in the ILO areas.
Operationalizing the Program & Certificate Model
Each degree that the College offers will have a defined purpose in terms of the role it plays in preparing students to either pursue entry-level employment, or transfer to a four-year institution, or both. The proposed defined purposes for the degrees articulated in this model are listed in the chart below.
Primary Purpose of Degree/CertificateTransfer / Work
Associate of Art / X
Associate of Science / X
Associate of Applied Arts & Sciences / X
Associate of Business / X / X
Associate of Nursing / X
Associate of Fine Arts / X
Associate of Music / X / X
Associate of General Studies / NA / NA
Certificate / X / X
Advanced Certificate / X
Non-Credit Certificate / X
Degrees and programs will be purposefully aligned based on the curricular expectations for the various programs and degrees. The expectations for the curricular content for each degree/program are listed in Appendix A.
Student transcripts will reflect the intended purpose of the degree and associated program in which they graduate. The information for each degree/program combination can be seen in Appendix B.
Courses
Courses are the way in which the curricular content and experiences are delivered. At GRCC, we consider both classroom and out-of-classroom learning experiences to be curriculum at the course level. Each of these is characterized by explicit student learning outcomes, a plan for experiences that will lead students to achieve these outcomes, and a plan for assessing that achievement.
GRCC provides an extensive array of courses with varying purposes for students, including the following types:
§ Program Requirement- Offering designed to meet the learning needs of students in a specific GRCC program.
§ General Education- Offering designed to meet the specific criteria for a GRCC Distribution Requirement, Wellness, or Composition. The course should be designated by the requirement it fulfills.
§ Elective- Offering designed to expand learning opportunities for degree seeking students. May or may not be restricted to students in a specific GRCC program.
§ Community Interest- Offering designed for non-degree seeking students based on an expressed interest or need.
§ Continuing Education- Offering designed to meet the specific requirements of a profession for continuing education credit.
§ Service- A discipline specific offering designed as a transferable prerequisite to one or more GRCC programs.
§ Developmental- Offering designed as a non-transferable prerequisite to college level GRCC courses and programs.
KD 1 2/5/2013
Courses are offered in a variety of formats, each with a minimum requirement for contact hours. The formats, definitions, and contact hour requirements are listed in the table below.
Course Format / Definition / Contact Hours per 1 credit / Other DetailsLecture / A course in which content is primarily delivered through presentations of facts, principles, context, or interpretation. Instruction takes place in a traditional classroom setting or online format. / 1
Seminar / A course which focuses on a topic that is not included and/or studied in depth in the discipline’s regular course offerings. In a seminar course, a group of students work with a faculty member to study this special topic. A seminar course topic is not intended to become a regular course in a curriculum. The purpose is to provide a unique opportunity for a group of students and a faculty member to explore a special or new topic. The topics of seminar courses in a discipline will typically not be routinely repeated. / 1 / Policy on Numbering of Seminar Courses: Seminar courses are designated by the following numbers: 291 (one credit hour seminar), 292 (two credit hour seminar), 293 (three credit hour seminar), 294 (four credit hour seminar). The particular topic of the Seminar must be included in the Seminar title.